Bedside Manner
by Ally P
Summary: What if Rogue didn't get stabbed by Logan when she woke him up? What would they talk about?


Title: Bedside Manner  
  
Author: Lalie Palonatio  
  
Email: ally@antlercreeklodge.com  
  
Disclaimer: I own them all. Everything. It's mine I tell you! (runs away from cops)  
  
Pairing: L/M of course. What else would you expect from me?  
  
Author's Notes: Okay. I'm using this space to complain! [Author takes a deep breath] This ficlet was a big, fat, ferocious, razor sharp fanged bunny. It completely prevented me from working on my other story, A Change of Destiny. Which will be !written! as soon as real life decides to quit interfering. Goddamned real life. Why can't I just be a hermit and live in my room? Anyway, this may or may not have a sequel. This big fat bunny has shrunk to normal size and has let go of my butt, only to huddle in the dark reaches of my mind deciding whether or not it wants to go on. ACoD is completely subject to change. I don't like where it's going at all. You know what? I'm this close to renouncing chapters and making you all wait until I get the damn thing done to post it. Urgh. Anyway, enough of my bitching. On with the story!  
  
  
  
Rogue awoke in her room to hear moaning and grumbling from a few doors down. It was Logan's room. She got up putting on her gloves and slippers, and then snuck out quietly as not to wake Kitty or Jubilee, her roommates.  
  
She crept down the hall and stood outside his room. He was mumbling in his sleep. Marie opened the opened his door to see him thrashing about on his bed. She walked stealthily up to the foot of the king size bed and shook Logan's calf. He didn't respond.  
  
"Logan! Logan wake up!" Marie said strongly. Again, Logan didn't do anything except thrash and grumble. "Logan. It's Marie. Wake up. You're having a nightmare." Logan shifted, his body stiffening and he attentively sniffed the air. Sweat rolled down his brow. A look of relief dissolved the stern awareness that had been on his face. His entire body relaxed. He spoke before even opening his eyes.  
  
"Marie, what are you doin' here?"  
  
"I heard you havin' a nightmare from my room. Thought you could use a good wakin' up." Logan opened his hazel eyes and looked at her intently. After a minute he gestured to the foot of the bed.  
  
"Sit?"  
  
"Sure," Marie sat down and folded her hands repeatedly over one another. After a brief moment of silence she spoke again. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"It?"  
  
"Your nightmare."  
  
"No." The word was harsh and final.  
  
"Oh. Okay. Then what could we talk about?" He pondered her question for a moment while reaching to the floor and pulling a long sleeve flannel on.  
  
"I'll be heading back to Alberta in a few days. Chuck found something for me. A lead. Maybe a link."  
  
"Link? Link to what?"  
  
"My past." Marie could easily sense that that was a subject off limits.  
  
"Oh. Okay. Good luck then."  
  
"Thanks Kid. Are you going to be okay here?"  
  
"I hope so." Logan raised an eyebrow. "Okay. I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. It's just that some things I find kind of confining. And annoying."  
  
"I know the feeling," Logan paused. "What do you find annoying though?"  
  
"It's nothing major."  
  
"Obviously it is. I don't think you would have brought it up if it wasn't." Marie took a deep breath.  
  
"It's just – it's just that my roommates are incredibly afraid of me. As are all of the people I've met here."  
  
"I don't see why. You wouldn't hurt a fly. Unless it provoked you." Marie let a little grin slip at that.  
  
"No, but it's that I have a huge possibility to accidentally hurt someone."  
  
"What did they do to make you feel like this? I can tell it's eatin' at you."  
  
"Just little stuff. Well, maybe not so little but medium stuff. Like, for instance, when I was changing into some clean clothes that the professor got me, the girls went to the opposite end of the room and stood there like frightened mice. It was like they thought that I was going to come after them in my bra and panties and tackle them."  
  
"Were you going to?" Logan asked with a big smile on his face.  
  
Marie shook her head laughing lightly. "Later, after I was completely dressed, gloves, scarf and all. I touched Jubilee's arm to get her attention and she freaked. Like jumped back three feet and almost screamed freaked."  
  
"You should talk to the Professor or that other guy, Summers. Maybe he could get you nicer roommates or maybe even your own room."  
  
"I don't want to be a burden to him anymore then I already am. I don't want special treatment just 'cause I have poison skin."  
  
"You don't have poison skin Marie." Marie was shocked at the hardness of his voice. She just let the comment slip by, pretending not to notice.  
  
"I'll just put up with them for the rest of the year. When I finish, which should be soon, a month and most, I'll just leave, get a job. And my own place. Then I won't have to worry about my skin. I could even walk around without socks and gloves."  
  
"That'd be nice kid. I think you'd do well on your own. You seem like the independent type."  
  
"Well you kind of have to be to hitchhike across the U.S. and parts of Canada, and then take a ride with a mutant with metal claws in his hands." She winked so he knew she was playing with him. He smiled a little. Just so she could barely see it.  
  
Logan laid back on his bed. Marie took that as an invite and laid down next to him.  
  
"Tired?" he asked humour in his voice. A yawn from Marie was his only answer. "Kid? Don't fall asleep yet. I have something to ask you."  
  
Marie groaned and raised her head from the pillow, "What?"  
  
"Do you still want to go to Alaska?" Marie's eyes lit right up.  
  
"Yes. Of course I do. Why?"  
  
"How'd you like to go?"  
  
"Oh! That would be wonderful! When?"  
  
"How about right after Graduation?"  
  
"That's perfect!" Logan smirked.  
  
"You seem to like that idea a lot."  
  
"I do. Very much."  
  
"Why have you always wanted to go to Alaska? Nothing up there besides Eskimo's, snow, and ice."  
  
"Because, being the Mississippi girl I am, I had never seen real snow. Nothing more than just a few flakes here and there. And I always heard it was beautiful and after my mutation manifested it seemed perfect. Not to populated and people wouldn't really notice if I always wore gloves. I could always blame it on my Mississippi blood if I didn't want to tell them." Logan nodded understanding. If she lived in the outskirts of a small town no one would ever question her constant covering up. It made sense.  
  
"Ah. Okay, I understand darlin'."  
  
"So, right after I finish school? Or right after Graduation?"  
  
"There's a difference?"  
  
"Yup. Graduation is the ceremony. I finish school in a month. Graduation is in a month and a half."  
  
"When do you want to go. 'Cause I could go for leavin' now." Marie laughed quietly.  
  
"I say after I finish school. The Prof can always give me my diploma early." Marie stopped for a second. "Would we be making a pit-stop to where your lead is, or would you go and then come back?"  
  
"I figure we'd just go. But I wouldn't take you to the actual place though. You'd have to wait at the hotel. There's no telling what I might find. I don't want you to have to deal with it." Logan's sincerity touched Marie. She nodded.  
  
"Okay. That's cool. Can I ask you something?"  
  
Logan looked a little wary for a minute before responding, "Yes."  
  
"Do you have amnesia or something? Why do you need to search for your past? I know you didn't want to talk about this but I really want to know. I figure that if you are willing to take me somewhere alone with you, you must trust me somewhat. If you don't want to tell me I understand."  
  
Logan took a few minutes to sort everything out. Rogue sat patiently waiting for his answer. "Well, I guess I could make a long story by saying that I was captured by the Canadian government. I think. They were the sick fucks that put the claws in and my adamantium skeleton in. They also took all of my memories of during the procedure and everything before. The only thing I have is my tags and a few nightmares. I woke up alone, cold, naked, in the woods one day."  
  
Rogue sat silent. She didn't know how to respond verbally. Instead she settled on curling up to him and hugging him. Surprised Logan didn't know what to do besides hug her. The only reason why he even told her was because he didn't think that she'd judge he based upon it. He didn't know why he thought it but he always followed his instincts. And as usual, they were right.  
  
"So, after you finish school?"  
  
"Yeah. I can't wait." His shirt muffled her words.  
  
"Me either darlin'. Me either. G'Night."  
  
"Night. Logan?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks." Marie smiled against him.  
  
"Your welcome." He murmured as he clutched her tightly to him as they drifted off to sleep. 


End file.
